Mead
by boshrocks
Summary: Everyone in Camelot knows what a lightweight Merlin is, but when Arthur eavesdrops on a conversation with Gwen he realises something. Merlin/Arthur obviously. story much better than summery i promise
1. Chapter 1

Arthur paused outside Gaius's chambers. From within he could hear laughter and lots of it.

There was also the distinct smell of well brewed mead floating out of the open door.

Oh dear.

Merlin and any type of alcohol were not by any means a match made in heaven. The boy was such a lightweight. Arthur actually thought it was hilarious getting his manservant drunk, just to see what he'd do.

The last time it had happened he'd actually marched up to Morgana and kissed her. She'd told Arthur afterward that she was shocked he'd done it but that she was more shocked by how good a kisser he was. Of course the moment hadn't been planned at all and Uther had witnessed the event. Predictably Merlin had been sent to the stocks. It must be a second home to him by now.

But this time he didn't sound drunk. He wasn't singing like an out-of-tune sailor or speaking in a very broad Irish accent as were his usual customs when intoxicated.

He was just hanging out with Gwen. Why was he not drunk? He should be drunk.

Mind you it was probably a good thing he wasn't. Gwen would be pregnant by morning if he was.

Arthur wouldn't admit it to a single soul but the recent extra-closeness of Merlin and Gwen was making him quite jealous. He could hear her laughing as she recounted an amusing story.

Peeking round the doorframe Arthur saw the pair of them, sitting cross-legged on a table close by each other, knees practically touching. He could see both their faces clearly, but in profile. Gwen was howling away, her head resting on his chest while he too was laughing, tears rolling down the sides of his cheeks.

"You never did that." cried Merlin

Gwen raised her head slightly and glared playfully at him. Arthur didn't at all like the fact that she was now literally inches from his Merlin's face. He'd only have to move forwards a little to kiss her. "I did too. And I wasn't even drunk."

"How was she? 'Cos you know, I can't really remember?" Merlin wiped away the tears of laughter with his neckerchief.

"She was amazing but more importantly is what she said about you."

"Oh and what did she say about me?" Arthur could swear that Merlin was flirting.

"That even Arthur didn't kiss as well as you do."

"And she knows this from experience, does she?" Was he jealous? Arthur hoped he was.

"Apparently. Well someone had to teach the boy how to kiss. All those damsels he had to wake with a kiss to break the spell would have complained if she hadn't."

"Gwen that's just mean." despite his words, Merlin laughed.

"Come on, you know it's true."

"Yeah I'll give you that. Forget Prince Charming, he's really Prince Not-So-Charming." This made Gwen laugh even more.

"I'm passing that onto Morgana. She'll love it."

"Fine, but next time I get dibs."

Gradually Gwen's giggles subsided and she took another swig from their shared tankard of mead. As Arthur watched Merlin took the cup from her and also took a sip, never dropping eye contact with her. Arthur looked away.

"Morgana really said I was good?" Merlin asked curiously.

Even though he wasn't looking Arthur heard Gwen roll her eyes.

"You want proof? Come here you." That worried Arthur so he fought with himself whether he was brave enough to take another peek. He decided he was so when he looked in a few moments later, after a nerve-racking silence from within, he felt his jealousy bubbling within him.

Gwen and Merlin were kissing and getting really into it.

Arthur tore his eyes away from them and withdrew into the shadows again. He wanted to march into the room and wrench Gwen off him. He controlled his jealousy however and looked in again.

Thankfully they'd stopped kissing but he didn't like how dazed Gwen seemed to be by it. Merlin was waving a hand in front of her face which she ignored.

"Guess I'm gonna have to give you the kiss of life." Merlin said cheekily.

That woke her up. Putting a hand over his face she pushed him backwards as he leant in to kiss her again. "Good though you are, you kiss me again and I'm going to have to put you into a coma."

"You really thought I was good?" Merlin asked pulling her hand down but not letting go of it.

"You're a better kisser than Arthur, I'll give you that." a second after she said it she covered her mouth with her free hand, her eyes wide, knowing she'd let something slip.

"Oh so you've kissed Arthur?"

"Just once." She cried defensively.

"When?" despite his smile Arthur could swear there was a slightly angry look in Merlin's eyes.

"Mistletoe. I seemed to be caught under it a lot last Christmas."

"Who can blame them?"

"All by Arthur."

"Sounds like he has a bit of a thing for you."

"Not since you turned up."

"What?" Merlin looked adorably confused.

"Come on, don't tell me you haven't noticed it. Your master wants you. In more than just a master/servant way."

"You're out of your mind."

"Fine, believe what you want, but he wants to test out your kissing skills too."

"Hm." Arthur couldn't read the look on Merlin's face.

"You're considering it, aren't you?"

"Possibly."

"I know you better than that. You do anything concerning this, and you're taking advantage of him."

"Gwen, face it, he deserves to be taken advantage of."

Gwen considered this. "Alright, fair's fair, he does."

Merlin snorted. "He takes advantage of me every day."

"He's your boss, he has to. But I reckon he secretly likes bossing you around so much." Gwen sniggered.

"Are you kidding, he loves it." Merlin laughed. "You should see the gleeful look he gets in his eyes when he orders me to do a particularly horrible task. It's adorable."

"You dark horse."

"What?"

"You've considered it before haven't you?"

"…Maybe." Merlin said shiftily.

"Come on, own up, you've been having those thoughts too haven't you?"

"There are some advantages to having to dress him every day."

"Well I'll give you acting credits. No one would have guessed you secretly desire your boss."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"Um…not ruddy likely."

As Arthur listened to them, he thanked god for whoever invented mead.


	2. Chapter 2

"Merlin, are you ever going to learn how to knock?" Arthur asked, attempting to keep the smile from his face.

By god Merlin looked a state this morning. There were large dark circles under his puffy eyes and he was even paler than usual. There was also a big red crease on his cheek in a perfect right angle, indicating that he'd used the table as a pillow. Well at least he hadn't used Gwen.

"Rough night?" Arthur asked, repressing a snort.

"Uh yeah, the chores you set me took longer than I expected." What a crappy liar he was.

"How's Gwen this morning?" the prince tried hard not to sound jealous.

"I don't know, haven't spoken to her yet."

"Is she in her room? Or is she in yours?"

"She's probably out picking flowers for Lady Morgana, like she always is at this time in the morning." Now there was colour in Merlin's cheeks in the form of a rather fierce blush. Arthur noted how he had sidestepped the second question; maybe he wasn't as hungover as he looked.

Merlin couldn't understand it when Arthur wouldn't shut up about Gwen all morning. He mentioned it to Gwen as they were preparing the lunches for their respective bosses.

"I wouldn't worry about it, its not like he overheard what happened last night." Gwen said in a very offhand way.

The penny dropped and echoed as it bounced on the metaphorical stone floor.

"Uh, Gwen? You don't think he-"

"Heard what we said last night?" Gwen finished.

"I was gonna say what we did last night but if he heard what we said then we're in even worse trouble than I thought."

"Merlin, honey, breathe. We don't know if he heard either what was said or what was done. But I think we need to find out. Arthur can be very manipulative and he will use what he knows against you at some point. Therefore it is vital we know what he knows. Do you follow?"

Pause. "No."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Fine. Did he sound angry this morning?"

"No, just even more arrogant than usual. Like he knew some- he knows doesn't he?"

"It's a definite maybe. You need to find out what he knows."

"How do I do that?"

"Talk to him; ask him what he did last night…never mind I'll do it. Let's swap bosses for a while."

Reluctantly Merlin agreed so a little while later Gwen took Arthur his lunch.

"Where's Merlin?"

"Gaius wanted him for something. Someone's been taken seriously ill in the town and Gaius needed his errand boy." Gwen was almost ashamed how easily the lie came. Almost.

Arthur didn't question it. This often happened and there was no point making a fuss about it.

Gwen watched him as he ate, while cleaning up a little; Merlin really was a bad manservant.

"So, tell me Gwen, did you and Merlin have fun last night?" Arthur said offhandedly. Gwen stopped what she was doing, and Arthur noticed.

"What makes you think we were together?"

"I have my sources." He said with that annoying smirk on his face.

Gwen put down the shirt she was folding and turned to face him. "These sources, o prince, what exactly would they be?"

"I'm not telling."

"I rather suspect there are no sources, there's just you listening into private conversations… again. Sire." Gwen said.

"You're a smart girl."

"What else did these sources say?" slowly Gwen walked to the table.

"That neither you nor our Merlin is as innocent as you claim."

Gwen smiled although inside she was trying to repress the panic that was mounting. "Try to understand something, sire, you cannot expect people to remain innocent for too long, especially around here."

"So you're admitting to your innocence and lack thereof?"

"No! I mean, no!" she glared as Arthur laughed.

"Come on Guinevere, I know what's going on between you and Merlin."

"Does it make you jealous?" she asked coyly.

"If I said yes would you judge me?"

"If I may, who are you jealous of?"

Arthur looked back at her during a pause with associated paperwork. "You've just handed me a double edged sword. If I say I was jealous of Merlin then you'd think that meant I was in love with you and then you'd have that over me. But when I admit that I am jealous of you and the relations you share with my manservant then you have even more over me."

Arthur didn't like the triumphant smirk that leapt onto Gwen's features.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Arthur rose from his seat. "Guine_vere_."

"Nothing… sire." The smirk got to Arthur's level of smugness.

Arthur glared at her. Slowly he walked around the table.

Suppressing a snort Gwen slipped from the room.

"Guinevere!" Arthur roared, throwing the door open and glaring down the empty corridor.

Gwen and Merlin watched him fumingly retreat back into his room from the alcove Merlin had yanked her into, clamped a hand over her mouth and held her close. At least attempting to keep quiet they couldn't help sniggering at Arthur's fury.

"Went well then?" Merlin asked as she leant forwards and rested her forehead against his chest as the laughter overcame her.


	3. Chapter 3

Merlin approached the door to Arthur's room hesitantly. He turned around mid stride and came face to face with a grumpy, but still amused, looking Gwen.

"You're not chickening out now. Get your butt in that room before I kick it in." Gwen declared.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea." Gwen tried not to snigger at his thick Irish accent.

"What are you talking about? It's a great idea."

"You're just saying that because you came up with it."

"And?" Gwen gave him a very straight look.

"Fine. I'll go along with your madcap plan but let the record show that I mostly don't want to." He slurred a little and swayed where he stood. "Gimme a drink." He grabbed the bottle from her and took a large swig before handing it back.

"Now, go get your prince not-so charming." She pushed him towards the door.

With some difficulty he managed to open it and almost stumbled inside, shutting it absently behind him. Gwen snorted and put her ear to the door.

Half an hour later the scene hadn't changed when Morgana came round the corner and saw Gwen.

"What are you doing Gwen?"

"Sh, my lady! Merlin and Arthur may just be hooking up in there."

"At last. So Merlin's moved on from me then?"

"Not really. You're the dream, I'm convenient, and Arthur's his destiny."

"That's so sweet."

Gwen shrugged, raised the bottle to her lips, discovered it was empty and lowered it again. "Bastard," she murmured.

"He's drunk isn't he?" Morgana asked, deeply amused.

"Just a little bit. Enough to have him using the accent but not enough to get him singing. Don't look at me like that. We both know he wouldn't be able to do it without mead in him."

"It's a fair point. So how's it going in there?"

"There's no yelling or breaking furniture so it's kinda hard to tell." Gwen sniggered.

"Any other sounds? Any… moaning? Or anything of that sort?"

"Not so far as I can tell. Maybe Arthur knocked him out the second he entered the room and is letting him sleep off his drunkenness."

"I doubt it, Gwen. Arthur would have fun with him first, you know that."

They both crouched at the door and listened carefully, stifling each others giggles. After ten minutes however they were both growing bored.

"We'll quiz them in the morning. Join me for a drink?" Gwen asked, waving her empty bottle.

"I had something else in mind."

"I need another drink."

Gwen emerged from her mistresses chambers early the next morning, blinking painfully against the sunlight, trying to get her eyes to stay open and her head from falling off. A dull throbbing was pounding in her temples which worsened as Merlin bounced along the corridor, a jug of water and some goblets in his hands.

"Looks like you had a worse night than I did." He grinned, stopping as she leant against the cold wall.

Gwen merely groaned. Merlin snorted.

"Shut up, you prat."

"Its funny you should call me that, Gwen, considering what happened last night. Nice one, mate, your plan worked."

"Plan?" she sounded as though she couldn't remember anything.

Again Merlin snorted. "So what happened to you after you shoved me into my prince's room?"

"Couldn't tell you. Can I just ask, why the hell are you so damn cheerful this morning? It's too bright to be happy, and you seem like you're on something. You haven't been eating those weird mushrooms Gaius has stashed away again have you?"

"Not this time. I'm just happy 'cos I got sunshine all night." he grinned at her.

Before Gwen could retaliate, Morgana came out of her room and kissed her gently, tenderly and also passionately before bidding Merlin good morning and walking off.

"Looks like I wasn't the only one." Merlin said, suggestively.

"Looks like. I just wish I could remember it."

Merlin left chuckling. Before going down the stairs he turned and looked at Gwen, who had sunk down in despair on the floor. "By the way, Gaius has a hangover potion which works miracles. I would bring you some but I've just left my boss in bed and I'm anxious to get back to him as soon as possible."

"You're as much of a prat as he is, do you know that Merlin?" she snapped.


End file.
